“We must decriminalise poverty to achieve equal access to justice”

Last week the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London held a seminar at Marlborough House on the Decriminalisation of Poverty and Status in the Commonwealth.

The Seminar, held on 14 February 2023, as part of the flagship Rule of Law Conversation Series, promoted the Commonwealth Equal Access to Justice Action Plan and highlighted possible solutions to the challenges posed by the overrepresentation in Commonwealth criminal justice systems of vulnerable communities and people living in poverty.

During the seminar, the delegates heard from two eminent speakers about the interface between law, policy, poverty and status, and about their experiences and observations in their countries.

Photo from The Commonwealth

“We must decriminalise poverty to achieve equal access to justice”

Date:
24 February, 2023

Type of Update:
Updates from our Partners
Recent Events

Themes:
Courts Systems
Human Rights
Petty Offences
Pre-trial Detention
Use of Public Spaces

Regions:
Global
Africa
Australia & the Pacific Islands
Asia
Europe
Latin America & the Caribbean
Middle East
North America

The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.

@decrimpovertystatus

#DecrimPoverty | #DecrimStatus | #DecrimActivism